The imprecise definition of terms used to describe pathological diagnosis in clinical medicine can lead to imprecise treatment concepts and inaccurate recording of outcomes. In this article, we explore the meaning of common terms applied to the pathology of the rotator cuff, and demonstrate how the imprecise use of words entails a risk of leading to a poor definition of the clinical condition being treated. We suggest improvements in the accuracy of the definition of what constitutes the rotator cuff. We suggest the use of ‘defect’ to describe the most common presentation of a degenerative lesion of the rotator cuff, rather than perpetuate the use of the term ‘tear’, which has a different, injurious aetiology. We suggest that the term ‘repair’ should be reserved for the condition in which an acutely injured tendon (with a ‘tear’) can be expected to heal, using the correct definition of the term ‘to heal’. We recommend reserving the use of the term ‘healed’ for the condition of an acute lesion of the rotator cuff (a ‘tear’) to which the histological process of regenerating a near-normal enthesis can be reasonably applied. We further suggest that degenerative lesions (‘defects’) of the rotator cuff, which do not have the biological capacity to heal in the true sense when brought back to bone, should be described as having ‘closure’ of the defect. Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2025;6(11):1475–1478.

Background and purpose: It is unclear whether total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) results in better outcomes in patients with degenerative shoulder diseases compared with hemiarthroplasty (HA). This randomized controlled trial (NCT01288066) is an international, multicenter study with the primary aim to assess pain and shoulder joint function at 5-year follow-up in adults surgically treated with TSA or HA. Methods: The inclusion criteria were patients aged 18 and older with primary or secondary osteoarthritis, with a functionally intact rotator cuff and glenoid morphology of Walch type A1, A2, or B1. Randomization to either TSA or HA occurred intraoperatively after full surgical preparation for glenoid prosthetic implantation in all patients. The primary outcome measure was the Constant–Murley scores (CMS) at 5-year follow-up. Secondary outcomes were patient-reported outcomes (Shoulder Pain and Disability Index [SPADI], EQ-5D, and EQ VAS), adverse events, and implant survivorship at 5-year follow-up. Results: There were 79 patients eligible, of whom 40 and 39 patients were randomized to receive TSA or HA, respectively. The dropout rate at 5 years was 34% due to 27 of 79 patients withdrawing consent or being lost to follow-up. The mean CMS improved from preoperative to 5 years’ follow-up for both TSA and HA treatment groups. At 5 years, the TSA group had a significantly better mean CMS (77, 95% confidence interval [CI] 72–82) than the HA group (65, CI 57–73). The mean treatment difference was 12 (Cl 2.8–22; P = 0.01). The adverse event rate and relative risk of revision were not significantly different between the groups. Conclusion: In patients with glenohumeral osteoarthritis randomized to either TSA or HA, TSA was the favorable approach based on less pain and better joint function 5 years after surgery.

Background: Subacromial pain is a common and disabling condition with multifactorial etiology. Increasing evidence supports exercises as first-line treatment and need of surgery is debated. Long-term follow-ups after surgical-and nonsurgical treatment are scarce. The primary aim of the present study was to investigate the 10-year outcomes after a study comparing specific and nonspecific exercise treatment and the need for surgery. Secondarily we compared patients who had undergone exercise treatment, to those having surgery and explored the importance of rotator cuff status in relation to given treatment and outcomes. Methods: At enrollment 2009-2010, 97 patients with long-standing subacromial pain were on the waiting list for arthroscopic subacromial decompression (ASD). They were randomized to specific exercises focusing on strengthening of the rotator cuff and scapula stabilizers (n = 51) or control: unloaded range of motion exercises (n = 46). ASD was optional during the entire observation time. Eligible patients from either group constitute the present 10-year cohort with nonoperated (n = 42) or operated (n = 41) patients. The primary outcome was shoulder function and pain after 10 years assessed by the Constant-Murley score (CMS). Secondary outcomes were proportion of patients choosing surgery and rotator cuff status related to treatment and primary outcome. Results: At the 10-year follow-up, 83 of 97 patients (86%) participated. All patients significantly improved in CMS from baseline to 10-year follow-up, mean improvement of 37 (95% confidence interval 33-41, P <.0001). Nonoperated patients had significantly better CMS compared to operated with mean difference 11(95% confidence interval 4-18) (P = .003). Significantly more patients in the control exercise group 65% (26 of 40) had chosen surgery compared to 35% (15 of 43) in the specific exercise group up until 10 years (P = .006). At 10 years, 55% of the patients had a partial or full-thickness rotator cuff tear compared to 28% at baseline. There was no difference in tear progression between operated and nonoperated patients (P = .494). In the contralateral shoulder, 51% of the patients (39 of 76) had a cuff tear compared to 3% at baseline. Conclusions: Specific exercise treatment for patients with subacromial pain was effective and reduced the need for surgery with maintained results after 10 years. Responders to exercise treatment had the best long-term outcomes and ASD yielded satisfying outcome in nonresponders. A rotator cuff tear was equally common in patients having undergone surgery as in those treated nonoperatively and in the contralateral shoulder.

BACKGROUND:Ultrasonography (US) has been suggested as a valuable complement to clinical and radiologic examinations in elbow trauma. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been the method of choice, despite fair to moderate inter-rater reliability (IRR). US has potential advantages but is assessor dependent and the IRR scarcely examined. The primary aim of the present study was to investigate IRR for US and secondarily interobserver agreement (IOA) between US and MRI in the acute phase after elbow trauma. Acute phase was defined as 2 weeks and, if applicable, the following weekend. The hypothesis was that US reliability would be at least substantial for complete muscle or ligament lesions. METHODS:A total of 116 patients (50 men, median age 47 [range 19-87] years) who had an elbow trauma with dislocation and/or fracture were included. Exclusion criteria were prior injury to the same elbow, and US and/or MRI not possible within 16 days. During US, the condition of muscle origins at the epicondyles and collateral and annular ligament complexes was recorded in a predesigned protocol, with the alternatives intact, partially or completely torn. Seventy-two patients had a second US examination the same day by an independent upper extremity surgeon, and 58 of the 116 patients underwent an MRI before or after the US, evaluated by 2 radiologists using the same protocol. IOA and IRR between assessors and modalities were analyzed with kappa statistics and interpreted according to Landis and Koch. Perfect agreement (PA) was reported in percentages. RESULTS:US examination within 2 weeks was feasible with tolerable discomfort. Defining muscle origins and ligaments as intact or completely torn, the US IRR ranged from substantial to near perfect (kappa 0.63-1, PA 93%-100%). Intact tissues vs. tear (partial and complete tear combined) or intact vs. partial vs. complete tear resulted in kappa values from moderate to substantial and PA 74%-96% with lowest reliability for the muscle origins. The IOA between MRI and US ranged from fair to near perfect for no tear vs. complete tear (kappa 0.25-1, PA 65%-100%). Agreement between no tear and tear (partial and complete together) ranged from fair to substantial (0.25-0.66, PA 63%-89%) and no tear vs. partial or complete tear ranged from fair to moderate (0.25-0.53, PA 50%-79%). CONCLUSION:US in the acute setting is suitable and reliable for diagnosis of ligament injuries in the elbow and is in addition fast, cheap, and easily accessible. The agreement with MRI seems to vary with the structure assessed and severity of the lesions, ranging from fair to near perfect.

Background:The Minimal Important Difference (MID) and Smallest Detectable Change (SDC) are methods used to identify the smallest changes in Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) that are of relevance to the patients. Data on these parameters is, however, limited for elbow conditions including traumatic injuries. The aim of this study was, therefore, to estimate the MID and SDC for three commonly used PROMs after elbow trauma; the Oxford Elbow Score (OES), Quick Disabilities of the Arm Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) and Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE). Methods:One hundred patients, 67 females, aged ≥18 years (mean age 52.4 years (standard deviation, 18.2)), who had sustained a fracture, tendon rupture or dislocation affecting the elbow, completed the OES, QuickDASH, and SANE 3-5 months after injury (T1) and again after a minimum of 3 weeks (T2). A transition item with a 7-level scale, enquiring about the situation with the elbow, was also completed at T1 and T2. The difference in scores between T1 and T2 was calculated (change scores). The MID was assessed using the mean change method; a response of "slightly better" or "slightly worse" was defined as being a clinically significant change. The SDC was estimated by calculating the standard error of measurement based on 2 administrations (1- to 3-week interval) of PROMs in a separate group of patients who had sustained an elbow injury 1- 2 years previously. Results:The most common diagnosis was fracture of the proximal radius (n = 33). Eighteen patients responded slightly better and 5 slightly worse on the transition item and had mean change scores of 7.9 (9.3) for the OES and -7.4 (11.4) for the QuickDASH. Assessment of SDC was based on 56 patients having sustained an elbow injury between September 2019 and October 2020. The SDC was: 12.1 for the OES, 11.4 for the QuickDASH, and 1.94 for the SANE. Conclusion:Change scores need to exceed 12.1 points for the OES, 11.4 points for the QuickDASH, and 1.94 points for the SANE in order to measure change with clinical relevance and not due to measurement errors.

BackgroundThe Minimal Important Difference (MID) and Smallest Detectable Change (SDC) are methods used to identify the smallest changes in Patient-Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) that are of relevance to the patients. Data on these parameters is, however, limited for elbow conditions including traumatic injuries. The aim of this study was therefore to estimate the MID and SDC for three commonly used PROMs after elbow trauma; the Oxford Elbow Score (OES), Quick Disabilities of the Arm Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) and Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE).Material and methodsOne hundred patients, 67 females, aged ≥18 years (mean age 52.4 years (SD, 18.2)), who had sustained a fracture, tendon rupture or dislocation affecting the elbow, completed the OES, QuickDASH, and SANE 3-5 months after injury (T1) and again after a minimum of 3 weeks (T2). A transition item with a 7-level scale, enquiring about the situation with the elbow, was also completed at T1 and T2. The difference in scores between T1 and T2 was calculated (change scores). The MID was assessed using the mean change method; a response of “slightly better” or “slightly worse” was defined as being a clinically significant change. The SDC was estimated by calculating the standard error of measurement (SEM) based on 2 administrations (1- to 3-week interval) of PROMs in a separate group of patients who had sustained an elbow injury 1 to 2 years previously.ResultsThe most common diagnosis was fracture of the proximal radius (n = 33). Eighteen patients responded slightly better and 5 slightly worse on the transition item and had mean change scores of 7.9 (9.3) for the OES and -7.4 (11.4) for the QuickDASH. Assessment of SDC was based on 56 patients having sustained an elbow injury between September 2019 and October 2020. The SDC was: 12.1 for the OES, 11.4 for the QuickDASH and 1.94 for the SANE.ConclusionChange scores need to exceed 12.1 points for the OES, 11.4 points for the QuickDASH and 1.94 points for the SANE in order to measure change with clinical relevance and not due to measurement errors.

The gleno-humeral joint is by far the most mobile in the human body but also afflicted by dislocations, predominantly anterior. Surgical stabilisation is often successful but failures not uncommon. The following review describes potential causes of failure and highlights the need of adapting surgical methods to pathomorphology.

Background: Healing failure after rotator cuff repair is a challenging problem. Acute, trauma-related tears are considered a separate entity and are often treated surgically. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated with healing failure in previously asymp-tomatic patients with trauma-related rotator cuff tears treated with early arthroscopic repair. Methods: This study included 62 consecutively recruited patients (23% women; median age, 61 years; age range, 42-75 years) with acute symptoms in a previously asymptomatic shoulder and a magnetic resonance imaging-verified full-thickness rotator cuff tear after shoulder trauma. All patients were offered, and underwent, early arthroscopic repair, during which a biopsy specimen was har-vested from the supraspinatus tendon and analyzed for signs of degeneration. Of the patients, 57 (92%) completed 1-year follow-up and underwent assessment of repair integrity on magnetic resonance images according to the Sugaya classification. Risk factors for heal-ing failure were investigated using a causal-relation diagram where age, body mass index, tendon degeneration (Bonar score), diabetes mellitus, fatty infiltration (FI), sex, smoking, tear location regarding integrity of the rotator cable, and tear size (number of ruptured tendons and tendon retraction) were included and analyzed. Results: Healing failure at 1 year was identified in 37% of patients (n = 21). A high degree of FI of the supraspinatus muscle (P = .01), a tear location including disruption of rotator cable integrity (P = .01), and old age (P = .03) were associated with healing failure. Tendon degeneration as determined by histopathology was not associated with healing failure at 1-year follow-up (P = .63). Conclusion: Older age, increased FI of the supraspinatus muscle, and a tear including disruption of the rotator cable increased the risk of healing failure after early arthroscopic repair in patients with trauma-related full-thickness rotator cuff tears. Level of evidence: Level I; Prospective Cohort Design; Prognosis Study (c) 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Background: Semiconstrained total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) is an established treatment for elderly patients with distal humeral fractures not amenable to stable internal fixation (unreconstructable). In recent years, there has been increasing interest in elbow hemiarthroplasty (EHA), a treatment option which does not entail restrictions on weight -bearing as opposed to TEA. These 2 treatments have not been compared in a randomized controlled trial (RCT). The aim of this study was to compare the functional outcome of EHA and TEA for the treatment of unreconstructable distal humeral fractures in elderly patients. Material and methods: This was a multicenter randomized controlled trial (RCT). Patients were included between January 2011 and November 2019 at one of 3 participating hospitals. The inclusion criteria were an unreconstructable distal humeral fracture, age >= 60 years and independent living. The final follow-up took place after >= 2 years. The primary outcome measure was the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand (DASH) score. Secondary outcome measures were the Mayo Elbow Performance Score (MEPS), the EQ-5D index, range of motion (flexion, extension, pronation, and supination) and grip strength. Results: Forty patients were randomized to TEA (n = 20) and EHA (n = 20). Five patients died before completing the final follow-up, leaving 18 EHA and 17 TEA patients for analysis. There were 31 women. The mean age was 74.0 (SD, 8.5) years in the EHA group and 76.9 (SD, 7.6) in the TEA group (P = .30). The mean DASH score was 21.6 points in the EHA group and 27.2 in the TEA group (P = .39), a difference of -5.6 points (95% CI: -18.6 to 7.5). There were no differences between treatment with EHA and TEA for the mean values of the MEPS (85.0 vs. 88.2, P = .59), EQ-5D index (0.92 vs. 0.86, P = .13), extension (29(degrees) vs. 29(degrees), P = .98), flexion (126(degrees) vs. 136(degrees), P = .05), arc of flexion -extension (97(degrees) vs. 107(degrees);, P = .25), supination (81(degrees) vs. 75(degrees), P = .13), pronation (78(degrees) vs. 74(degrees), P = .16) or grip strength (17.5 kg vs. 17.2 kg, P = .89). There were 6 adverse events in each treatment group. Conclusion: In this RCT, both elbow hemiarthroplasty (EHA) and total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) resulted in a good and similar functional outcome for unreconstructable distal humeral fractures in elderly patients at a minimum of 2 years of follow-up. Level of evidence: Level I; Randomized Controlled Trial; Treatment Study (c) 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

To investigate the 10-year outcome of non-operative treatment in patients with subacromial pain syndrome and to compare the outcomes of acromioplasty and non-surgical treatment.

Background:The Oxford Elbow Score (OES) is a well-validated, elbow-specific, patient-reported outcome measure (PROM), originally assigned a 4-week recall period. For PROMs, short recall periods could have some advantages, such as optimizing validity by minimizing the negative effects of inaccurate recollection and temporal trends (increase or decrease) in symptoms over the course of the recall period. Temporal trends in elbow function can, for example, be expected to occur over 4 weeks in patients recovering from an injury or surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the measurement properties of the OES using a shortened, 7-day, recall period (OES-7d). Methods:The inclusion criteria were fracture, tendon rupture or dislocation affecting the elbow, and age ≥18 years. Patients with Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) scores of ≥10 points preinjury (pre-existing upper extremity condition) or concurrent upper extremity injuries were excluded. Patients completed the OES-7d, QuickDASH, and Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation-Function for the last 7 days preinjury (T1), the first 7 days postinjury (T2) and a 7-day period 3-5 months postinjury (T3). Correlations were assessed with Spearman's rho. Analyses of construct validity (correlation between scores) and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) were based on T3 data. Responsiveness was assessed by correlating changes in scores (change scores) between time points. Intra-rater reliability was assessed by calculating intraclass correlation coefficients based on 2 administrations (1- to 3-week interval) of PROMs in a separate group of patients who had sustained an elbow injury 1-2 years previously. Results:Seventy-five patients (45 women) were included between May 2020 and July 2021. Their mean age was 51.7 years. At T3, Spearman's rho was -0.91 for the correlation between OES total and QuickDASH scores and 0.76 for the correlation between OES total scores and Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation-Function values (construct validity). Spearman's rho for correlation between OES total and QuickDASH change scores from T2 to T3 (T3 minus T2) was -0.85 (responsiveness for improvement) and -0.88 for change scores from T1 to T2 (T2 minus T1, responsiveness for deterioration). For the OES domains, Cronbach's alpha was 0.83 for elbow function, 0.91 for pain and 0.90 for social-psychological domains. The intraclass correlation coefficient for the OES total score was 0.96. Conclusion:The OES demonstrated good measurement properties when used with a 7-day recall period (OES-7d). These results further establish the OES as a well-validated, elbow-specific PROM and support using a 7-day recall period.

Fractures of the greater tuberosity comprise 14-15 percent of all proximal humeral fractures according to the Swedish National Fracture database. This fracture type can lead to prolonged pain and functional impairment if treated suboptimally. The purpose of this article is to describe the anatomy and the injury mechanisms, summarize present literature and guide through the diagnosis and treatment of this fracture. The literature that addresses this injury is limited and treatment consensus is not clearly defined. This fracture can occur isolated as well as associated with glenohumeral dislocations, rotator cuff ruptures and humeral neck fractures. In some cases diagnosis may be difficult. Patients with pain out of proportion despite normal X-ray should be further assessed both clinically and radiologically. Missed fractures can lead to long term pain and functional impairment, especially among young overhead athletes. It is consequently important to identify such injuries, understand the pathomechanics and adapt the treatment based on the patient's activity level and functional needs.

BACKGROUND:Periprosthetic joint infection is a serious complication and a major reason for revision surgery after primary shoulder arthroplasty. The prophylactic antibiotics for primary shoulder arthroplasty that have predominantly been used in Sweden are cloxacillin and clindamycin. To address Cutibacteriumacnes , benzylpenicillin has recently increasingly been added to cloxacillin, but it is unclear which antibiotic prophylaxis regimen is the most effective to prevent periprosthetic joint infection.QUESTIONS/PURPOSES:After controlling for baseline differences among patients such as age, gender, previous surgery, cement fixation, and arthroplasty type, was the risk of reoperation for infection higher in patients who received cloxacillin than in those who received clindamycin or the combination of benzylpenicillin and cloxacillin?METHODS:Data from the Swedish Shoulder Arthroplasty Register were used for this study. The inclusion criterion was registered antibiotic prophylaxis in primary arthroplasty. Between January 1, 1999, and December 31, 2019, 22,470 primary shoulder arthroplasties, including total shoulder, hemiarthroplasty, and reverse shoulder arthroplasties, were entered into the Swedish Shoulder Arthroplasty Register. Reporting of antibiotic prophylaxis to the register was introduced on January 1, 2013. Since then, the completeness of information on the type of antibiotic prophylaxis in the reports has been 85.3%. Consequently, 10,706 arthroplasties were eligible and fulfilled the inclusion criterion of reported antibiotic prophylaxis. A further 129 were excluded because of unusual prophylaxis regimens, leaving 10,577 shoulder arthroplasties for analysis. The Swedish Shoulder Arthroplasty Register gathers information from all 60 hospitals performing shoulder arthroplasty in Sweden, and through a comparison with the National Patient Register, it has been estimated that more than 90% of all primary shoulder arthroplasties and shoulder reoperations are reported to the register. The age of the study population ranged between 16 and 98 years; the mean age at the primary surgery was 70 ± 10 years for the entire cohort, with a mean age of 67 ± 10 years and 72 ± 9 years for men and women, respectively. The mean observation period was 989 ± 669 days. From 2013 to 2019, there was a clear change in prophylaxis; in particular, the use of the combination of benzylpenicillin and cloxacillin increased dramatically and the use of cloxacillin alone decreased. Clindamycin prophylaxis increased moderately. The primary study endpoint was reported reoperation for infection. In the register, this is defined as repeat procedures of any kind, including biopsy, lavage of the joint, or revision, defined as secondary surgery in which a component was exchanged, removed, or added. To compare the reoperation rate in relation to the different antibiotics used, which changed over time, we controlled for age, gender, previous surgery, cement fixation, and arthroplasty type using a Cox proportional hazards model.RESULTS:When adjusting for age, gender, previous surgery, cement fixation, and arthroplasty type, cloxacillin prophylaxis was associated with an increased relative risk of reoperation for infection compared with the combination of cloxacillin and benzylpenicillin (hazard ratio [HR] 2.40 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.35 to 4.25]; p = 0.003) and compared with clindamycin alone (HR 1.78 [95% CI 1.11 to 2.85]; p = 0.02). No difference was found between the cloxacillin and benzylpenicillin combination and clindamycin (HR 0.74 [95% CI 0.42 to 1.32]; p = 0.31).CONCLUSION:Our results indicate that prophylaxis against C. acnes may be warranted in shoulder arthroplasty. Because the absolute number of infections was low and infections could have been underreported to the register, our results should be interpreted with caution. There is no available information about the causative microorganisms. The study lays the groundwork for further investigations of antibiotic prophylaxis regimens in shoulder arthroplasty. Because large randomized controlled trials would be impractical to perform, prospective register-based randomized controlled studies might be a viable method.LEVEL OF EVIDENCE:Level Ⅲ, therapeutic study.

To test the hypothesis that elbow hemi arthroplasty (EHA) provides better elbow function than total elbow arthroplasty (TEA) for irreparable distal humeral fractures in elderly patients.

Background and purpose: Classification of fractures can be valuable for research purposes but also in clinical work. Especially with are fractures, such as distal ulna fractures, a treatment algorithm based on a classification can be helpful. We compared 3 different classification systems of distal ulna fractures and investigated their reliability and reproducibility.Patients and methods: patients with 97 fractures of the distal ulna, excluding the ulnar styloid, were included. All fractures were independently classified by 3 observers according to the classification by Biyani, AO/OTA 2007, and AO/OTA 2018. The classification process was repeated after a minimum of 3 weeks. We used Kappa value analysis to determine inter- and intra-rater agreement.Results: The inter-rater agreement of the AO/OTA 2007 classification was judged as fair, ĸ 0.40, whereas the agreement of AO/OTA 2018 and Biyani was moderate at ĸ 0.42 and 0.43 respectively. The intra-rater agreement was judged as moderate for all classifications.Interpretation: The differences between the classifications were small and the overall impression was that neither of them was good enough to be of substantial clinical value. The Biyani classification, being developed specifically for distal ulna fractures, was the easiest and most fitting for the fracture patterns seen in our material, but lacking options for fractures of the distal diaphysis. Standard radiographs were considered insufficient for an accurate classification. A better radiographic method combined with a revised classification might improve accuracy, reliability, and reproducibility.

IntroductionThe incidence of olecranon fractures is growing in the elderly population. The traditional operative approach is giving way among the elderly to conservative treatment, which seems to provide a comparable functional outcome with a lower complication burden. However, there is still a lack of reliable evidence to support this shift.The objective of this trial is to investigate whether conservative treatment of displaced olecranon fractures in patients aged 75 or older yields comparable results to those of operative treatment in terms of pain and daily function.Methods and analysisScandinavian Olecranon Research in the Elderly (SCORE) is a randomised, controlled, multicentre, non-inferiority trial. Eligible patients will be randomised to either conservative or operative treatment. The sample size will be 68 patients and allocation done at a 1:1 ratio (34 patients per group). The randomisation is stratified according to the participating hospital and patient’s sex. Both groups will receive the same postoperative physiotherapy and pain management. The primary outcome is Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand at 1-year follow-up. Secondary outcomes are pain and satisfaction measured on visual analogue scales, Patient Reported Elbow Evaluation, range of motion of the elbow and extension strength of the elbow compared with the unaffected arm. Radiographs will be taken at each follow-up. Primary analysis of the results will be conducted on an intention-to-treat basis.Ethics and disseminationThe study protocol for this clinical trial has been approved by the Ethics Committee of the Hospital District of Southwest Finland and will be submitted for approval to the Regional Ethics Committees in Linköping, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark. Every recruiting centre will apply local research approvals. The results of this study will be submitted for publication in peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration numberNCT04401462.Protocol versionThis is the second protocol version dated on 16 April 2020.

(ABAS) Abstract Background and purpose: Age and gender have been regarded important for surgical decision making and used as inclusion criteria for clinical trials. Individual demands and level of activity have been less considered. A self-administered scale, defining subjectively assessed level of activity involving the upper extremities was therefore developed. The primary purpose of this study was to present the scale. Secondarily to investigate its reliability and correlation with age and gender. Patients and Methods: A scale with 8 categories ranging from extremely demanding to non-demanding activities, separated according to hand dominance, was constructed. Reliability testing was performed on 103 healthy individuals of both genders with a wide age range (20-86). 241 patients, median age 58 years (range 18-97), with different upper extremity injuries completed the scale. Participants were instructed to mark activities representative for their normal activity level. Correlation with age and gender was then investigated using Spearman Correlation Coefficient (SCC). Results: The level of activity ranged from 1, corresponding to minimal use of the arm, to 8 defined as elite sports. For test-retest Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) was 0.89 for the dominant and 0.90 for the non-dominant arm. Correlations between gender, age and level of activity were weak. Interpretation: The scale was found reliable and feasible to use. Age and gender were weakly correlated with level of activity and patients with low and high activities found in all ages and both genders. The activity scale allows improved description of patients included in clinical trials and can aid in treatment decision making but is primarily not intended for measurement of treatment outcome.

Introduction Fractures of the distal ulna, excluding the styloid, are rare. The cause of injury is often a fall on an outstretched hand with an extended wrist, and in most cases there is a concomitant distal radius fracture. The aims of this retrospective study were to investigate the results of the current treatment of distal ulna fractures in adults, with or without a concomitant distal radius fracture, and if a recently presented fracture classification could predict outcome. Materials and methods Patients, 18 years or older, treated for a fracture of the distal third of ulna in our county, were included. Fractures of the styloid tip were excluded. The radiographs of the fractures were independently classified by two specialists in radiology according to the 2018 AO/OTA classification. Follow-up was performed 5–7 years after the injury, through the questionnaire Patient-Rated Wrist Evaluation (PRWE) and new radiographs of both wrists. Results Ninety-six patients with 97 fractures were included and filled out the PRWE. 65 patients also had new radiographs taken. 79 patients were women and the mean age at the time of injury was 63 years (SD 14.5). The most common fracture class was the extra-articular transverse fracture, 2U3A2.3 (42%). We found that 40% of the fractures had been treated by internal fixation and only 2 fractures had not healed, one conservatively treated and one operated. The median PRWE was 15 (IQR 33.5). The PRWE score was significantly worse in the operated ulna fractures ( p = 0.01) and this was also true for extra-articular transverse fractures 2U3A2.3 ( p = 0.001). Initial displacement was more common in operated transverse fractures, but it could not be proven that this was the reason for the inferior result. Conclusions Distal ulna fractures almost always unite and the result is comparable to that of isolated distal radius fractures when measured by PRWE. Based on the opinions of the radiologists and how often a consensus discussion was needed for classification, we found the updated AO classification system difficult to use, if dependent only on standard radiographic views. In the present study, transverse extra-articular ulna fractures did not benefit from internal fixation regardless if associated with a distal radius fracture or isolated.